90TM shortblock into 97 Ranger?

[austynn2001]

Hey all I just picked up a cheap little 1997 ranger that has at least one very bad head gasket. The kid said that it would need head gaskets soon but I'd be fine to drive it about 15 miles home. Well he was wrong. It was pegged on red all the way home and it was popping out of the oil fill spout and making crazy sounds I've never heard an engine make when I got home. I really bet the heads are cracked. I have a good older 90-94 4.0 in the garage. Could I just use the longblock out of that engine under my 97 intake?

 

[cp2295]

The holes for the engine mounts in your year ranger are not drilled into the 90tm block. You could possibly drill them I'm unsure, other than that just use the manifolds and all off the other motor should be good


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[austynn2001]

What about using the older heads on the 97 block? There is no knock or any other sounds coming from the 97 engine. I just really wouldn't trust those heads.

 

[cp2295]

It will raise the compression ratio and you will have to use 92 octane but other than that no other problems. Bumps it from about 9:1 to 10:1


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[cp2295]

Or no actually the reverse of that it'll lower the compression and the motor might be a dog

They sell heads on eBay brand new for $400 thatd be your best bed imo

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[austynn2001]

Yeah I'd be fine with a bump in compression. Not a drop. That's for the Subaru lol thanks for the help.

 

[austynn2001]

I just checked those heads out. Funny how some people selling those brand new heads need a core and others don't. I'm pretty sure that's the route I'll be taking. Seems like a smoking deal for a set of brand new, fully assembled, improved casting heads. So it seems that I would need the 95TM heads for my 97, correct? And aside from gaskets and water pump is there anything else I should do while I've got the engine out? I'll do the rear main as I've read those are notorious as well as oil pan gasket. Oil pump? The truck has 158k on it. Timing chain should be fine? New pushrods I'd imagine for the new heads. Is a cam worth it? This truck will be mainly DD type duty, but some cheap extra power never hurt anyone. I've got a Subaru I'm boosting and a 96 Powerstroke I'm building for fun time.

 

[cp2295]

I'd just do rockers and pushrods as I guarantee those are worn. And yes 95tm heads would be correct. If you are concerned about it id do a water pump but it's probably fine, if the RMS isn't leaking then I wouldn't touch it, I wouldn't pull the motor if you don't have to, doing the heads with the motor in the truck is a pretty simple job tbh can be accomplished In a day easily.


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[austynn2001]

Ok, so I'll be buying those heads for sure. It just makes sense. I'm trying to get a list of parts I'll need. So far I've got those heads, stock length pushrods from ebay?, rockers from ebay?, gaskets (Felpro for everything or?), timing chain unless there's no point, water pump. Anything I'm forgetting?

 

[austynn2001]

And I'll have a rear main seal handy just in case.

 

[AllanD]

If you KNOW you've had coolant contamination of the lube oil as an absolute minimum
you will need to remove the engine from the chassis, and replace the Rod and Main bearings, and probably the cam bearings as well....

And carefully clean the oil pump pickup.


But frankly the problems you describe sound more like severely cracked heads and/or a cracked block than a simple head gasket....

At this point you are better off with an entire engine.

I would personally consider that engine to be scrap and wouldn't waste either time or money on it...

 

[austynn2001]

In that case, I could use the good 90TM block that I have and proceed as planned with the 95TM heads on ebay? It looks like I'll have to modify the motor mounts a little?

 

[cdxhizors]

Just a heads up, you should reconsider reusing the lower end of the original motor.. A lot of coolant has gone through the oil passages and bearing surfaces and on the walls of the Pistons. I'm sure that blocks in bad shape along with the crank.

This is from personal experience but it was mentioned above. That blocks gonna be rough since you said the "kid" before you. I'm sure it was driven like that for a while.

 

[austynn2001]

The 95TM heads on the 90TM would raise the compression at the same time wouldn't it? That wouldn't upset me.

 

[cp2295]

Honestly my rigs heads cracked, I pulled the motor and all the rod journals were scored. So the motor is probably toast. I would use the 90tm block 95tm heads and you'd have 10:1 compression. That's what I did with my motor (well I just used 90tm pistons in my 98tm block, same idea though). You will have to modify the mounts.

I wouldn't use eBay stuff never had luck. Get some sealed power stuff off rockauto.


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